Chapter 10: In Which Shit Hits the Fan

Warnings: tense survival situations, minor character death (not even sure if I need these warnings, really)

At no point in Leonard's life up until this moment had he ever honestly thought that someday, he would be running for his life through a largely coniferous forest on an alien planet, breath fogging in the cold air.

Yes, it would eventually occur to him that the likelihood of a similar scenario had skyrocketed the second he met James Tiberius Kirk, but this is generally not how the life of a Southern doctor is assumed to proceed. It's supposed to ramble on like the back roads of Georgia: possibly pitted with potholes in places, occasionally made up of only a series of ruts, but definitely not tripping over unearthly tree roots trying to trip him up and deliver him into the clutches of his would-be executioners.

Executioners that had already ended the lives of Lts. Raleigh and Subramanyam. Executioners of whom at least two had already been dispatched to whatever afterlife they believed in by the genius Russian trying to get Leonard to keep up, helping him dodge between trees with an honest-to-God gunpowder-reliant rifle in his hands and a handgun at his belt - trophies that Leonard didn't want to think too hard about.

Though, there would be a lot that Leonard didn't want to think about much at all after this. Like how he'd handpicked Raleigh for this assignment, based on her background as a microbiologist. She had studied bacteriology and virology, among other things, and had experience working in an underdeveloped technological environment. She was the perfect candidate, near in age to himself and they got along okay, largely because she was friendly but quiet, serious about her research and in possession of a dry sense of humor that was funniest when it was going straight over Spock's pointy ears.

No, he didn't want to think about the fact that it was technically his fault that she was there at all, that her blood was splattered across his face, pooling on the shuttle floor from where she'd slumped through the door, laughing just seconds earlier at Leonard's bitching how impossible situations weren't actually supposed to be able to get worse.

Did that count as irony? He didn't really know. It was possible his brain wasn't getting enough oxygen to draw that far back into his memory of high school Literature and Language Theory; his body was too focused on staying in motion.

Chekov darted to the right, reaching out just in time to grab Leonard's arm and jerk him into the new course. Leonard almost lost his footing when they turned and then again when Chekov cleared a fallen branch much more easily than Leonard was capable of, especially with a pack on his back and another in hand. They were missing so many supplies. Leonard and Raleigh had been reorganizing, leaving out the malfunctioning medical equipment and checking over the ones that didn't require electronics to make sure they hadn't been damaged in the crash. They'd added another blanket and had been repacking the food when Leonard had heard a noise like ice cracking with a pop and then felt something wet spray his face. Thank God for the instinct that had him ducking and diving for the space beside the door and out of the line of fire - and away from where Raleigh had slumped onto the shuttle floor.

Chekov had grabbed him and pulled him out of the shuttle, much like he was currently grabbing him and pulling him down behind a fallen tree. Leonard had barely had time to grab two of the packs and Chekov had helped him put one on his back even had he pushed him ahead and told him to run. Leonard had said one word, turning Subramanyam's name into a question and was answered by a bullet hitting a tree next to his head, sending splinters of wood exploding out at them, and Chekov grabbing him and pulling and yelling at him again to run.

The tree they were hiding behind wouldn't offer them much protection, but Leonard had desperately needed the break. He'd kept up to the physical requirements just like any officer had to, but this was different. There was no warm-up and his muscles were protesting. His lungs were tight from breathing in the cold air and it was entirely possible that the adrenaline rushing through his system was the only thing keeping him from going into shock.

He'd seen people die; he was a doctor and the Narada Incident alone… But while he was more than capable of dealing with death, of coping and compartmentalizing and dealing with the emotions that always accompanied it, this was different. It was more than just the helplessness of someone dying in front of him when there was nothing he could do. This was Caroline Raleigh who'd only been there because he'd asked for her and she'd been laughing with him when she'd been-

A hand grabbed his and he blinked. He hadn't realized they were shaking until Chekov had reached over to steady them.

Looking at them now - he couldn't face Chekov, couldn't look up at him and risk seeing pity or, worse, cold eyes looking back at him - he could see the tiny pinprick droplets of red that had dried on his skin. The thermal material of both his shirt and jacket were thankfully black, but it was on his face. If he changed his expression, he was sure he'd be able to feel the dried blood pulling at his skin. But he didn't have time to clean any of it off. A crack of a twig to their left and Chekov was tugging at his hands, swinging one of the packs over his own shoulder and and pulling Leonard to his feet to start running all over again.

By the time the sun rose over the horizon the next morning, it felt like they'd never stopped moving and would never be able to. They'd taken breaks, Chekov tugging him behind a tree right when Leonard thought he'd collapse. They'd share a few ounces of water, unsure when they'd be able to refill it and without any snow on the ground to melt, just cold dirt, fungi, and humus under the various shrubs they'd be dodging or stepping over. A protein bar and short rest and then they were back on their feet, going more slowly with just the light of the moons, trying to get as far from their pursuers as they could before feeling safe enough to rest for a longer period.

The first break that morning, Leonard handed Chekov a caffeine pill and took one for himself. He hated them, hated the side effects and could rant about the antiquated medication that could never replace a decent amount of sleep. But he didn't need Chekov to tell him that they couldn't sleep during the daylight, not unless they found decent cover. Chekov just nodded at him, nose and cheeks tinged pink and eyes as serious as Leonard had ever seen them. He looked tired, but he was also young enough to pull an all-nighter without too many poor side effects, adrenaline rush notwithstanding. Leonard was definitely going to be slowing them down today, though.

He was getting too old for this shit.

Chekov was proving that pacing and observance of those under his care - because, really, Leonard was man enough to admit that Chekov knew much more about keeping them alive in this instance than Leonard did - were just two more skills at which he excelled. Their trek became more of a hike than a run and Chekov quietly mentioned that he was pretty sure that there was a village to the west of where they'd crashed, but while they could navigate by the suns for now, he'd have to wait until he could see the stars again to really know for sure. Leonard just nodded, too tired to question that Chekov had memorized the star charts and not nearly stupid enough to not believe that he really had. As they walked, though, he did wonder just how much information that brain of his could retain, letting his mind wander while he trusted Chekov to keep a better eye on their surroundings. Perhaps it was unprofessional, but Leonard really had gone through the minimal training necessary for this type of situation. He was a doctor and the Academy had been much more concerned with his ability to practice medicine and help others survive on-board than they had been with his ability to survive on the bare minimum while being chased by aliens on an unfamiliar planet.

He was contemplating what he would write in a letter to the Academic Board of Supervisors about this particular oversight in his education, trailing behind Chekov and just letting his eyes rest on the lithe form in front of him, ignoring the way Chekov held that gun so familiarly and confidently, when they both heard it - a snap in the not-so-far distance and then another. Chekov immediately reminded him of a deer, body tensing and gaze snapping to the side, alert and wary just like any other creature of prey. His hair was even the right color for a deer, Leonard thought, and then that was his last thought for a while because they were running again.

Leonard wasn't sure if they'd somehow circled back in the night - he doubted it because, really, he was being lead by the Fleet's leading navigator and if he doubted him, he'd fall into despair because then they'd really be fucked - but somehow their pursuers had caught up to them. They weren't right there yet, but they must have been fresh from rest, maybe even different people altogether, and certainly knew the area better because they were able to move much more quickly than Chekov and Leonard could. He was so fucking sick of running by the time they reached a rocky area and it just got harder from there.

He felt so incompetent as they tried to make their way over the rocks, Chekov reaching back to steady him on more than one occasion. Kid was like a damned mountain goat, steady and sure-footed even on this terrain and Leonard would probably hate him a little for it if he wasn't so damn grateful.

The sun was already setting, casting long shadows and making it even more difficult to determine where one rock ended and another started, where to put his feet so his boot wouldn't get lodged between two of them and take even more time. Leonard preferred to think that they were far enough north that the day was just that short and that they hadn't really been running that long - again. He could hear running water nearby and wondered if they were next to a stream or river and if that would help Chekov get them to civilization more quickly - assuming that wherever they arrived wouldn't just kill them on sight.

Chekov reached out and tugged him to the left, almost throwing Leonard off-balance. Leonard looked up from his feet and followed the line of Chekov's arm to where he was pointing - a cave. Better yet, a small cave with some covering provided by the rocks around it and the little dry looking shrubbery that had been dotting the landscape.

The sounds of their pursuers echoed off the rocks, making it hard for Leonard to distinguish direction or distance, but they were enough to give him the energy he needed to put on a little push to reach the cave before they came over the rise Leonard and Chekov had just descended. Chekov shoved him inside first and scrambled after him.

It was tall enough to stand in, but narrower than it had seemed from the outside. They'd have to check it for whatever beasts this planet had to offer, but for now, Leonard had his back up against a wall in the dark, just out of the light streaming in through the opening. Chekov was pressed up against him, shoulder against Leonard's chest and the other one almost brushing the rock on the other side of the opening. The gun at his side pressed into Leonard's hip, a sharp reminder of the danger they were in - as if he could forget - and as much of a reminder of how deadly Chekov could be as the rifle the young man had in his hands, at the ready to be brought to his shoulder and fired in needed.

The sounds of boots on stone got louder and Leonard heard a shout of foreign words. Chekov tensed, but then slowly started to relax as the sounds moved farther out again. He was breathing heavily, more than Leonard would have anticipated. This guy ran marathons, after all, and here he was, breathing as heavily as Leonard, if not more so. They were tired, completely exhausted, but while Leonard's breath were heavy and deep, Chekov's were more shallow and faster. The sounds outside faded away and Leonard focused his attention on the young man in front of him. Flushed skin, labored breathing, sweat on his brow - all of it could be explained away by fatigue followed by exertion. He really shouldn't be worrying, but something nagged at his over-tired brain, a memory that just wouldn't surface through the fog.

"They said something about checking the river. We'll have to keep watch, but we should be okay to rest here unless they double back." Chekov coughed and said something else, but Leonard didn't hear it, too distracted by what else he had heard and a memory rushing back.

In the shuttle before they'd launched from Enterprise, Chekov had coughed. Just a short shallow cough, but Leonard was on high alert both from preparations to deal with an unknown illness as well as stress from the impending flight. He asked how long Chekov had had that cough, words probably a bit more terse than necessary. Chekov had responded that it was nothing, just an allergic reaction from something Scotty'd had him doing, and Leonard had yet again spoken without thinking, "Do you have a medical degree, Lieutenant?"

Thankfully, there'd been less disastrous results than the other times he'd snapped at someone recently, and it had almost been like Before when Chekov quipped, "No, but Doctor Shir'n does." Subramanyam hadn't stifled his laughter completely and even Raleigh had- She'd laughed at him.

Leonard hadn't thought anything of it since then. Shir'n was a fine doctor and he'd had no reason to question it until now.

Just now, Leonard had heard a wheeze. That wheeze made everything else - skin, breathing, sweat - seem much more sinister. Chekov coughed into the crook of his arm again, lowering his weapon, and Leonard was listening for it now, heard the dull yet deep sound it made in Chekov's chest, not quite the barking noise he had reason to fear but not normal for a cold either.

Whatever it was, it definitely had a hold on Chekov's lungs and it definitely had come on quickly.

He must've been silent for too long and Chekov probably wanted a response to whatever it was that Leonard hadn't heard. He looked up at Leonard with his eyes narrowed and his eyebrows pinched together in concern. Leonard beat him to speaking.

"How long have you had that cough?" He almost expected Chekov to roll his eyes, but maybe Leonard's tone had been serious enough or maybe Chekov knew that his shortness of breath wasn't normal even for this very abnormal situation they found themselves in.

"A few days." He explained what Shir'n had told him about allergies from inhalants that Chekov had been exposed to and how he'd been put on an inhaler and a medication to get over it a bit more quickly since he'd be going to the planet's surface. Leonard was going to have a talk with Shir'n if - when - they got back.

He didn't care how valuable Chekov was to this mission; he should've been taken off the roster immediately with a cough, even one that seemed simple enough.

"Did he give you an antibiotic?" Leonard wasn't a fan of using those often, but Chekov had been put on an immunosuppressant to control the inflammation Shir'n had heard in his lungs and then sent to an alien planet to research a disease in a medical facility. With a cough already, not only did he risk passing it to one of the patients, he would need more protection that Leonard or the others did in such a scenario, even if the disease they'd be studying hadn't been known for infecting humans.

Chekov shook his head. Leonard looked away. Night was falling quickly outside and Leonard was just so tired.

"We need to get some sleep, Doctor."

It was Leonard's turn to shake his head. "I need to listen to your lungs first." He looked back to find Chekov watching him. But he didn't argue. He just nodded and moved farther into the cave before the light grew too dim, pulling out a small flashlight only when he was certain he was far enough from the entrance and never shining it towards the opening.

Nothing but rock and it didn't even go too far back, even if it did open out enough to sit down against the wall with legs stretched out in front. Nothing to surprise them in the middle of the night, but no other exit either.

They set down their packs and Leonard got out his stethoscope. Chekov obediently sat down, took the deep breaths Leonard instructed him to, didn't even give Leonard an odd look when he asked him to say the letter E a few times while he listened, patiently waited for Leonard to get done with his tapping and questions about breathing and pain. Leonard put his stethoscope away and desperately wished to wake up because this needed to all just be a nightmare.

He was trying to tell himself this was Shir'n's fault as he dug around in the pack for the Tri-ox. Med tech wasn't perfect and the cold and exertion could have easily caused whatever this was to progress more quickly. But the immunosuppressant and sending him to a frigid planet had certainly not helped the situation.

But there was no crackling, no dull spots when he tapped, nothing to indicate fluid in the lungs. Just the wheezing, as if that weren't enough. It could be worse, but it wasn't as bad as he'd feared.

Chekov's lungs were definitely inflamed and Leonard was going to need to keep checking up on him. Some of their supplies had been left behind in the shuttle, but at least they had some Tri-ox compound to keep his oxygen levels up. They didn't have much, though. Again, Chekov was quiet, just watching Leonard and nodding when he told him what he was administering and why. No need to mention what it might turn into just yet. Chekov was smart enough to probably be thinking about those things already. But it could be a number of things and Chekov could've picked it up anywhere. Leonard wondered if the staff on Enterprise was seeing more crew members with a cough like this.

It wasn't easy to sleep that night, with just a blanket between them and the bedrock of the cave, wrapped up over their legs as much as they could and another over each of their shoulders. Three blankets total and a cold rocky surface wasn't much comfort, but at least the cave was slightly warmer than the windy night outside.

They tried to sleep in shifts, but Leonard still found himself waking at the slightest noise, whether it was the shift of a rock outside or a cough from Chekov. He was pretty sure that Chekov hadn't slept any better either. Some rest was better than the night before, however, and the day dawned cold but calm. A quick exam showed them Chekov wasn't really any worse than before at least, so no Tri-ox just yet, both silently agreeing to ration that carefully just in case.

Staying alert, they made their way to the river, swift and wide. Leonard was able to pay more attention to their surroundings that day, having gotten the bare minimum he needed to function like a normal human being. The rocks were slightly more blue in hue than anything he'd expect on a riverbed on Earth. The water was clear, though, and sweet to the taste once they'd tested it with the kit that Raleigh had wisely stuffed in one of the packs they'd miraculously grabbed. Now if only they'd grabbed the one with the full medkit.

It seemed they had his own pack and one meant for either Chekov or Subramanyam. Leonard was washing his hands in the river, scrubbing at the dried blood with sand in the frigid water and turning his hands pink with cold and irritation while Chekov inventoried their packs and filled their water reserves from upstream. White entered Leonard's field of vision and he looked up to see Chekov offering him a damp cloth, gesturing up at Leonard's face with a serious look on his own.

Leonard hesitated, but eventually took it and used it to scrub at his face. He refused to look at it before shoving the cloth back into the river, rinsing away the rusty flecks before he could think too much about it. He should ask about Subramanyam, ask if Chekov was okay. Leonard was sure he was unhurt, even if ill, but he'd known the other Lieutenant much better than Leonard had. Jim had handpicked him, bristling at the order to not send security and finding a loophole in a security officer who happened to know enough about engineering to be helpful to Chekov, to be explained away as a second assistant, one for each of them, evening out the number. Leonard remembered that four was the number for death in the old Chinese culture. Maybe they were screwed before they ever left the ship.

Chekov finally broke the silence as he handed Leonard some of the rations. He moved closer so he could keep his voice quiet. They couldn't know how much their voices would carry in this terrain and atmosphere. Really, though, Leonard had gotten used to a quieter Chekov during the recent social disaster and then rushed mission prep on board, so as much as he still liked the sound of his voice, it almost seemed more odd to hear it now than the silence from before when it was nothing but running footsteps and heavy breathing, or the soft sounds from washing up this morning.

"I think I know generally where we are. There are villages along this river in either direction. While the stars would help know which way the nearest city is, we should be able to make it somewhere without too much trouble as long as we can keep to the shore." He went on a bit more about how that would put them at more risk of being found, so they'd have to stay vigilant, but Leonard still had a question once Chekov had fallen silent.

"How long to the villages?"

Chekov looked back down, finishing packing his bag. "A day or two, depending on where we actually are." Leonard wondered if he'd be basically admitting that he didn't know if the other Lieutenants, or an NCO, were with them. He didn't really have a response to that, though, so they shouldered their packs and Chekov picked up the rifle and they head along the river, following its flow. And really, what could one say to that? They were going to be stuck out here for a day or two, more if they were chased away from the river and with how their luck was lately, that was horribly likely to happen.

Just the two of them in the wilderness, cold weather and clouds gathering in the sky, without enough rations and an untreated illness on top of it. Leonard thought that he probably couldn't hate this away mission any more than he already did, but as soon as he thought that, he knew that he'd just jinxed himself. In only two days, two of their people were already dead, Chekov had likely killed at least one of their attackers, and they'd been shot at and chased like rabbits during a hunt.

And yet, Leonard knew that it could definitely get worse. He just wasn't sure if anyone was listening as he silently prayed that it wouldn't.